Francis I: the Maker of Modern France

Summary (from the publisher): Francis I was inconstant, amorous, hot-headed and flawed. Yet he was also arguably the most significant king that France ever had. This is his story.

A contemporary of Henry VIII of England, Francis saw himself as the first Renaissance king, a man who was the exemplar of courtly and civilised behaviour throughout Europe. A courageous and heroic warrior, he was also a keen aesthete, an accomplished diplomat and an energetic ruler who turned his country into a force to be reckoned with.

Yet he was also capricious, vain and arrogant, taking hugely unnecessary risks, at least one of which nearly resulted in the end of his kingdom. His great feud with his nemesis Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, defined European diplomacy and sovereignty, but his notorious alliance with the great Ottoman ruler Suleiman the Magnificent threatened to destroy everything.

With access to never-before-seen private archives, Leonie Frieda's comprehensive and sympathetic account explores the life of the most human of all Renaissance monarchs - and the most enigmatic.

 

Review: I received an uncorrected proof copy of this book from HarperCollins.

 

King Francis the I of France, 1494-1547, inherited the throne from his cousin and father-in-law Louis XII. A contemporary of King Henry VIII of England, Francis was a patron of the arts, a fearless warrior, and more than a little fond of hunting and women. Francis's father, the Count of Angouleme, was the first cousin of the king, but he died young, leaving Francis and his older sister Marguerite in the hands of their capable mother, Louise of Savoy, who devoted her life to promoting and championing her son. Before his birth, a seer told his mother that Francis "would one day be King of France. This prediction had become her sacred truth, and would later justify her belief that she too had been chosen for greatness" (7).

 

After early victories on the battlefield early in his reign, Francis' time as king was largely shadowed by his ongoing feud with Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor. Francis was impetuous and took unnecessary risks that at times threatened his kingdom. At one point he was imprisoned for over a year, during which his mother was forced to capably rule in his stead. Yet he was an eternal optimist whose luck always seemed to land him on his feet. For example, in 1525, many years before his actual death, he was in a coma due to a nasal abscess and everyone was prepared for his death. "And then, entirely unexpectedly, the nasal abscess that was the source of his affliction burst of its own accord and Francis regained consciousness" (190). Although Francis's son did succeed him on the throne as Henry II, Francis was forced to grieve many of his children, including his favorite son, before his own death.

 

This was an interesting biography about a man of many interests and passions. The most fascinating character for me was Francis's mother, Louise. I found her determination to serve her son and his reliance on her input, even after becoming king, interesting. Because I have not read many works of history covering this period of France, I did find the early descriptions of the royal family tree somewhat confusing, but I was able to follow the narrative well enough for the remainder of the book. However, I did spot one inconsistency: when the king's favorite son Charles dies, Frieda writes, "the dauphin, who sincerely mourned his brother's death, was now Francis's only surviving child" (299). On the contrary, it appears that Francis's daughter Margaret was still alive at this time and in fact lived the longest of all his children. Although her birth and early years are mentioned early on in this biography, her fate is never referenced again, even in the epilogue, which seemed like a glaring oversight given the full history of Francis's other offspring. This did make me question somewhat the accuracy of this text, but as I have no other foundation to compare it to, I will hope that this is the only (and relatively minor) error included.

Stars: 3